1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information systems and, more particularly, to geographic information systems for monitoring train positions. The invention also relates to methods for monitoring train positions with a geographic information system.
2. Background Information
Municipal authorities in cities have experienced problems with trains blocking crossings when dispatching emergency vehicles (e.g., police; fire; ambulance). This is not conducive, for example, to good railroad/municipal authority relationships.
In the case of railroads, train traffic may temporarily interrupt or block local transportation routes at the time when emergency vehicles are dispatched. This problem has become increasingly important with the advent of relatively longer trains and more frequent trains coupled with increased vehicular traffic. Due to the overall impact of this aggregate of changes, local civil authorities have concerns for their citizens. Hence, they are demanding more information about train movements within, and in the vicinity of, their communities.
The quality of emergency response systems depends upon, among other things, the time it takes to locate the emergency and the time it takes an emergency response team to reach the corresponding location. These factors are coupled to the extent that the time to reach the site of the emergency depends, in part, upon where the site is located and upon the best route to that site.
Although normal railroad graphics are very familiar to railroad personnel, such graphics are very difficult for a lay (i.e., non-railroad) person (e.g., a civil emergency dispatcher) to understand.
It is known to employ a web user interface including a representation of a rail corridor that depicts crossing status (e.g., crossing is clear; crossing is blocked; lack of data) using a color-coded icon and that depicts trains in the corridor with icons that exist at an approximate location of a train. The interface automatically updates every three minutes to provide monitoring capability for fire, emergency medical services and police who all may experience disruptions from delays at grade crossings.
There is room for improvement in systems and methods for monitoring train positions.